Dan Rapaport Joining Barstool’s Fore Play Podcast
Fore Play, the popular Barstool Sports golf podcast, is bolstering their coverage with the addition of former Sports Illustrated and Golf Digest writer, Dan Rapaport.
Fore Play was launched by Barstool in January of 2017 with Sam “Riggs” Bozoian as the lead host and Trent Ryan, a golf and Bachelor enthusiast for the company, joining him. Frankie Borrelli and Benjamin “Lurch” Severance later joined the podcast, creating a four-man team that traveled the country and challenged “old school” golf media in their coverage of the sport.
The podcast was tailormade “by the common golfer, for the common golfer,” and that identity remains central five years after its founding.
With the addition of Rapaport, Fore Play now has a true quartet of full-time contributors — Lurch has a separate full-time career at Axon Enterprise which led to the split. Despite Rapaport taking Lurch’s spot at the Fore Play table, neither appears to harbor any ill will towards the other. Lurch confirmed the news of his departure from the podcast in a tweet, but also mentioned that Riggs offered him a potential “time-to-time” spot as a fifth mic in future episodes.
Rapaport, meanwhile, referenced the tough nature of the situation in a response tweet to Lurch’s video.
“I’ve felt like ass about this for weeks,” he said. “Not an ideal situation and I was worried about how it would all play out. But @BarstoolLurch is maybe the nicest guy ever and has been nothing but classy. Mucho respect. Always part of the family.”
In his introductory blog for the company, Rapaport frequently cited the “creative freedom” at Barstool as one of the leading factors in his decision to leave “Big J journalism.” He also intends to not “completely piss away (his) journalism chops” nor to go “Full Barstool.” Instead, he confirmed that he will continue to chase compelling stories and narratives, work sources and keep his “boots on the ground in professional golf” all the while providing new content in different mediums, not just writing, for Fore Play and Barstool. As for his role within Fore Play, Rapaport will continue to write, co-star in videos and episodes in addition to assisting with merchandising and events.
In a time of great change in the world of golf, Rapaport’s arrival at Fore Play could signify a potential changing of the guard in the sport’s media coverage. We’ll have to wait to find out.
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